Dusk 'Til Dawn
by Dire Wolf 1887
Summary: A clan of lycans come to Hogwarts to prepare the student for the upcoming battle against Voldie. The pack leader Linnet, falls for the mysterious and brooding Potions Master. rated R for violence, language, and adult situations(possibly sexual)
1. 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or know J.K. Rowling in any way. I only own the plot.

**Linnet, Rowan, Niall, Mika, Iain, Dorik, Garron, and Vera are my characters and belong to me.**

**AN: I though it would be interesting to write a story that had more peaceful lycans in it. My lycans are a different species from Prof. Lupin, so they can transform at will and are not affected by the full moon.**

* * *

The hot mid-day sun beat down on a grassy meadow in a forest clearing. A lone figure slumbered peacefully under the shade of a large oak tree on the meadow's edge. Slowly opening its eyes, the figure took in all of its surroundings. The sound of pollinating bumble bees and chirping birds filled the air. The figure stood and entered the sunlight, revealing itself. The entity was wolf like in every way except for the characteristic human finger on the hands and that it walked upright on its hind legs. Making its way across the meadow, the creature re-entered the woods heading north. A sudden noise heard by the creature's acute hearing caused it to dash through the woods at speeds unattainable by humans. After several minutes of hard running, the beast crashed through the last of the undergrowth and came upon the source of the noise. It was another animal, a member of the creature's pack.

"Hey there, why such the big hurry?" the second animal asked.

"Rowan, you need to be more careful. I heard you from a mile away" the first wolf said.

"Don't be so uptight Linnet" Rowan said.

Linnet snorted and turned away. She was a feisty and determined animal who would do anything to succeed. She wore traditional robes of royal blue with silver embroidery that hang loosely on her frame. The bottom has a split in both sides that go up to the hip. Her outer cloak is black with small silver embroidery on the front. She wears sterling silver traditional Celtic jewelry on her ankles, wrists and neck. On her back she carries a double edged broad sword with ancient engravings on it. She stands 6ft tall with pale skin that contrasts with her shoulder length pitch black hair. Her eyes are shocking blue. Her back has an assortment Celtic tattoos that cover every patch of flesh. When she is in the form of a wolf she is pure sliver-grey with amber eyes. She is pack leader and elder and represents Europe when international council meetings are called.

Rowan is Linnet's right hand person/wolf. He wears the same robes as Linnet only they are pale blue with black embroidery. His outer cloak is also black. He carries two smaller swords across his back. Each sword had an emerald embedded in the hilt. He also stands 6ft tall. His skin is tan and he has auburn hair down to his chin. His eyes are the color of milk chocolate. As a wolf, he was a rusty-brown with blackened ear tips and paws.

"Come Rowan, you and I must travel to Hogwarts immediately. There is great evil abound in these woods" Linnet said as she started to walk east.

"Lady Linnet, Dumbledore knows of the danger. Why must we go" Rowan asked.

"We must go because this evil is growing far out of control. He-who-must-not-be-named is recruiting beings that are not human" Linnet explained to her companion.

Rowan snorted in discontent and continued to trek through the forest with his pack leader. Sensing his uneasy state, Linnet spoke to calm his nerves.

"Rowan, soon there will be a council meeting to discuss further actions" Linnet said.

Rowan sighed and looked up towards the sky that was barely visible through the thick canopy. After hours of walking, they arrived at a spot where two horses were saddled and ready to ride. The two wolves transformed into their human state to relieve some weight from the horses. The pair rode for hours until they reached the village of Hogsmeade just as the sun was setting.

"We will stay here for the night and journey to the castle at daybreak" Linnet said as they dismounted and went inside the inn.

After dinner was eaten, both Rowan and Linnet retired to their rooms to sleep and prepare for tomorrow.

* * *

As day broke over the horizon to the east, the two ancient warriors began their journey to Hogwarts. They took the horses up the road that the carriages use to deliver students. When they reached the front doors of the school, they tied the horses to a near by tree and went inside. As they entered, Rowan was awestruck by the enormity of the entrance hall. Linnet had heard stories of Hogwarts but had never visited it until now. She wandered over to one of the paintings and was startled when it talked to her. 

"Aye, what are you doing here young lassie" the painting said.

"I am looking for Albus Dumbledore. Do you know where I can find him?" Linnet asked.

"Of course, his office is on the far west side of the castle on the second floor. The stairs are guarded by a statue and you need the password" the painting answered before drifting off for a nap.

"Linnet, we don't have the password. What do you propose we do?" Rowan asked.

"We will walk that way and hopefully bump into another teacher on the way" Linnet explained.

Rowan just shrugged his shoulders and followed Linnet up the stairs. Linnet was right about bumping into another teacher, only it was the one person you didn't _want_ to bump into, Severus Snape.

"What do you think you are doing her?" Snape sneered at them.

"We are here for a meeting with Dumbledore, only we don't know the password to his office" Rowan stated.

"Would you be so kind as to show us the way?" Linnet questioned.

Snape looked the pair up and down then grunted in displeasure because his walk back to his dungeons was interrupted. Reluctantly though, he showed them to Dumbledore's office and said the password. Once that was done, he stalked off with his robes billowing behind him. When Linnet and Rowan reached the top of the stairs, Dumbledore's voice was heard beckoning them in before they even knocked.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. What do I owe the pleasure of this visit" Dumbledore beamed.

"We have come to discuss the matter of a terrible evil that threatens both man and beast. The one who must not be named is increasing his powers and will soon unleash his fury on everyone. As he grows stronger, he recruits those to weak to fight him" Linnet said.

"I see, please continue" Dumbledore nodded.

"He has recruited not just humans, but all manners of vicious creatures. He has trolls, goblins, giants, same vampire clans as well as lycan clans from parts of Germany and Russia. Clans like mine have held out and survived for now, but He will destroy all that will not help him." Linnet continued.

"Why have you come to me" Dumbledore asked.

"You and everyone here, especially Harry Potter, are in more danger than ever before. We have reason to believe that this school year will be the year to end it all. If Harry Potter succeeds, all the attacks of muggles will stop. This year is the year that decides the fate of the world. This year, the most infamous war in wizard history will be fought." Rowan replied.

Linnet nodded in agreement and waited for Dumbledore to reply. Taking a deep breath, Dumbledore nodded.

"Why did you choose to come to Hogwarts and tell me this" Dumbledore finally spoke.

"We wish to help. If we sit by and do nothing and He wins, our lives will be over. But if we help fight and win, then peace will be secured for all of us" Linnet answered.

"If you wish to stay her at the school, you may. We will set up rooms for you and will figure out some sort of job you can do. Oh, I forgot, are there any more of your clan here" Dumbledore said.

"Not right now. We need to send a message to them. They need to get here as quickly as possible. It should take them about a day and a half" Linnet replied.

"How many are in your clan so we set up rooms for them too" Dumbledore inquired.

"We have a small pack. There is only Rowan, myself, and six others" Linnet answered.

Dumbledore nodded and wrote down a not to himself. He handed a piece of parchment and quill to Linnet so she could write a note to her pack. Dumbledore gave the note to his owl to deliver it. Once that was done, he explained that they were going to teach the students how to fight with weapons, not wands. Rowan exclaimed that it was a great idea and after all the details were sorted out, Dumbledore summoned for a house elf to show them to their rooms.


	2. 2

As expected, the rest of Linnet's pack showed up two days later. They were greeted at the front door and were lead up to the staff room where the rest of the teachers were waiting. When everyone was fully inside, Linnet introduced the rest of her pack to everyone.

"Going from right to left, this is Niall, Mika, Iain, Dorik, Garron, and Vera" Linnet said.

"So what are we going to do around here?" Mika asked.

"Well what are your skills? Linnet and Rowan are going to teach sword fighting" Dumbledore answered.

"Dorik and I are the fastest and most agile. We can help the students to become more agile when dodging spells" Iain said.

"Mika and I know all about really dark and dangerous creatures that have been recruited by Him" Niall said.

"I am a longbow archer, I can teach anyone to hit a target dead center from 300 yards." Garron stated.

"Yeah, I am also an archer. I don't have a longbow just a normal one. I can help Garron sometimes" Dorik added.

All the boys finished stating what there talents were when Dumbledore asked the only one who hadn't spoken yet, Vera.

"What is your skill" Dumbledore asked.

"I am a healer. I know thousands of remedies and cures from almost anything that a person might be inflicted by." she replied quietly.

"I see. Well I suppose you should all teach what your skills are. Dorik and Iain, you will teach the students to be quicker and agile"

The two men nodded.

"Hagrid, will it be all right if Mika and Niall teach Advanced Care of Magical Creatures" Dumbledore asked the half-giant.

"Of course, it's fine" Hagrid replied.

"The two of you will teach the children about dark creatures. Garron, you and Dorik can teach some children archery" Dumbledore continued.

"That will be fine" they all replied.

"And Vera, you are especially important. I want you to teach the student the remedies you know. I also want you to help Madam Pomphrey in the infirmary" Dumbledore said.

"Ok" Vera said.

"Now, I suppose I should introduce you to the rest of the staff. As you said, going from right to left, this is Professor Sprout, Madam Hooch, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, Hagrid, and Professor Trelawney." Dumbledore announced.

All of the teachers except for Snape nodded and murmured hello. When the staff meeting was over, the new guests were shown to their rooms. The next morning at breakfast, Dumbledore handed them each a piece of paper with the day and time of their class. It also has the classroom that they were going to use for that class.

"You can start preparing your classes now if you want. The students arrive next Monday" Dumbledore said.

"Ok. I think that is a good idea. Hey you lot, get up and get moving. You have work to do, for once" Linnet said.

The pack members sitting at the table finished shoveling food into their mouths in record time. They all said their goodbyes and excuse me and got up to leave. They followed Linnet up to the fourth floor and got settled in their own rooms to begin preparing. Linnet heard two doors open and close signaling that two people had just left. Iain and Dorik, thinking that they escaped unnoticed, slipped down the stairs following their noses to the kitchen. They successfully reached the painting of the fruit bowl, but had no idea how to get in.

"Hey, excuse me, how do you get into the kitchen" Dorik asked one of the paintings.

"You have to tickle the pear and a doorknob will appear." the painting answered.

Dorik and Iain nodded their thanks and proceeded to tickle the pear. Once they were inside, they were bum-rushed by a heard of house elves trying to please. The two pack mates successfully gorged themselves with so much food they couldn't get up again.

"Dude, lets never eat that much food again" Iain groaned.

"Uh-huh" Dorik moaned.

A sudden laugh cause both nearly comatose wolves to look up. Linnet followed them to the kitchen and watched the two eat 10 times the normal amount of food in about three minutes.

"Looks like the two of you are not quite as agile as you should be. I would reprimand you on your behavior, but I think the bellyache you will have later will do that for me." Linnet laughed.

"We're so sorry" Dorik said.

"We promise that we will never do it again." Iain smile weakly.

"Yeah right, you two are the biggest chow hounds I have ever laid eyes on. It's quite disgusting sometime. Look at you now, you still have steak sauce on you chin" Linnet chided.

"Lady Linnet, will you please help us back to our rooms" Iain asked.

"Yeah, please. We can't get up" Dorik added.

"Fine, but I don't ever want to catch you down here again. Understand." Linnet commanded.

Both men weakly nodded before accepting Linnet's outstretched arms. Linnet pulled as hard as she could, but the dead weight of both men pulled all of them back to the floor.

"Okay, you two are going on a diet" Linnet sighed.

Now all three of them got off the floor and walked out the door and right into Snape. He had been patrolling the hallway when the crash from the kitchen drew him in to investigate.

"Well, it looks like I caught a couple of weasels red handed" Snape sneered.

"There is nothing wrong with getting a little snack from the kitchen" Iain defended.

"A little snack, you would make a pig green with envy" Snape drawled.

"Hey, how dare you, you overgrown greasy bat" Dorik yelled.

"I suggest you keep you mutts on a leash next time" Snape said looking at Linnet.

Linnet didn't say anything; she just growled and snorted at the potions professor. Snape growled back then stalked towards his dungeons.

"What a complete jack-off" Iain said.

"You would think that he owned the school with the way he acts" Dorik chuckled.

"Yeah, well he's right. This wouldn't have happen if you weren't such glutinous pigs" Linnet snapped.

As Linnet turned around to head to her room, Dorik stuck his tongue out and made obscene faces behind her back. Iain saw this as was trying as hard as he could to not laugh. The rest of the week, the pack spent their time planning lessons and exploring the castle grounds.

* * *

Monday evening came, and so did the students. The new arrivals were led to the boats while the returning students made their way to the castle by the carriages. When the students were all seated and the last of the first years sorted, Dumbledore stood to announce the new teachers and classes. 

"Our dear Professor Lupin is returning to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. We also have some new teachers this year" he began.

There were some mumblings from the students about the new teachers.

"To my right is Linnet and Rowan, who will be teaching a select few students sword fighting. There is also Mika and Niall, who will teach the 5, 6, and 7 years Advanced Care of Magical Creatures. Garron and Dorik will teach archery and Dorik and Iain will teach a class on speed and agility. I have decided that you need to learn how to fight not only how to fight with your wands but with physical combat as well." Dumbledore proclaimed.

After a brief pause to let the students converse for a moment, Dumbledore continued.

"Now that all the announcements are over let the feast begin" he said.

With a clap of his hands, piles of food appeared on the tables. After everyone was well fed, the prefects lead their house mates to the dormitories and the teachers retired to their own rooms for the night.


	3. 3

A sign up sheet was put up in all the common rooms for all the combat classes. So far there were quite a few names on the lists. When the final day of sign ups was over, Linnet and pack looked over the lists.

"There are about 25 people on the list for Linnet's class" Garron stated.

"There are 32 people for Iain's class" Rowan added.

"And 15 people for Garron's archery" Linnet said.

"Also, there are 10 people on the list for Vera" Dorik said.

"That's good; I don't want that many people. It would be difficult to keep track of what they are doing" Vera commented.

"Has Harry Potter signed up for any classes" Linnet asked.

"Only one, agility with Iain and me" Dorik answered.

"Good, that is an important class for him to take" Rowan said.

The rest nodded in agreement. They continued to talk about the days and times for their classes. A little later on, they starting discussing what kind of creatures Mika and Niall would teach the kids about.

"We are definitely going to do vampires and werewolves. I was also thinking about the Barghest and Trolls for the first few classes." Mika said.

Everyone thought that it was a good lesson plan. Linnet and Rowan excused themselves and left. Their sword class was every Wednesday and Saturday night at 7:00pm.

"Hey, try not to wear them down too much" Niall teased.

The two wolves laughed as they walked towards the designated classroom. When they entered the classroom, they were greeted by the 25 students they were going to teach. The group consisted of 7 Gryffindors, 7 Slytherins, 6 Ravenclaws, and 5 Hufflepuffs.

"I see we have a pretty even class" Linnet said looking around.

"Today we will talk about the principles about sword fighting and will begin basic skills next Wednesday" Rowan explained.

Rowan and Linnet took turns lecturing about stances, backswings, and other such things of that nature. They continued to lecture and answer questions until their hour and a half was over. At 8:30 the students were dismissed to go back to their dormitories. The next morning was uneventful; the owls came with the post while their owners ate breakfast. At 2 o'clock that afternoon, Vera made her way down to the dungeons where her class was being held. The class consisted of 5 Hufflepuffs, 3 Ravenclaws, and 2 Gryffindors.

"Hello everyone" Vera greeted.

"Hello professor" the kids replied.

"I am glad that you select few have taken an interest in this class. Now, I would like you all to move to the front of the room so you can all clearly see what you have to do" she stated.

"Professor, why do we have to have class in the dungeons, it's creepy down here" a girl from Hufflepuff asked.

"The herbs and other ingredients need to remain in a cool environment" Vera replied.

She began to explain that the paste that they were making today. It was a simple concoction that would heal rashes and small scratches.

"The first thing you need to do is finely grate some ginger root. After that you need to add 1 mint leaf followed by 1 jasmine flower and a spoon full of wild bee pollen. You grind all of these ingredients together until sticky. Lastly you add enough boiling water to turn into a paste. Let it cool for a moment and when it is finished it should be a very pale green." Vera explained.

The students copied all the instructions they were giving and made their way to the front desk to get their ingredients. When everyone had finished the assignment, Vera walked around to check them all.

"That is very good for your first time at this. Now, does anyone have a scratch or rash so you can all see how this works" Vera asked.

"I do" a Ravenclaw boy said.

Everyone gathered around his desk to watch. Vera applied the goo and said it would take 5 minutes to work. When the allotted time passed, Vera wiped the goo away to reveal that the scratch was completely healed. Everyone clapped and Vera released them from class to enjoy the rest of their Sunday afternoon. The rest of the afternoon was free of all extra classes so people were either inside studying or goofing around outside by the lake. Vera met up with Niall outside and began to wander around looking for the rest of their pack. Suddenly though, Vera stopped dead in her tracks and stared straight ahead. When Niall asked what was wrong her was greeted by the sight of Vera's normally emerald green eyes being a completely milky white color. A moment after it happened, Vera snapped back to normal and informed Niall of what was going on.

"We must find Linnet, I have had a premonition about an attack on a very populated area by Him" Vera explained.

"Well, what are we waiting for, we must hurry" Niall shouted as he started to run.

Vera soon caught up with Niall and they race around the property looking for Linnet. They found her along with Rowan, Mika and Professor McGonagall. Screeching to a halt on the smooth tile, Vera proceeded to inform them about what happened.

"Are you sure that this will happen" McGonagall asked.

"Of course, my premonitions have never been wrong for as long as I have had them" Vera snapped.

"I must inform the Headmaster of this. Do you know when the attack will take place" McGonagall said.

"In two days at the big shopping center in London. It will occur sometime between 10am and 2pm" Vera explained.

McGonagall nodded and rushed of to the Headmaster's office. Linnet looked at her fellow lycans and silently approved on how well they acted and how priceless they were. When the new was received by Dumbledore he immediately contacted the ministry and some of the members of the Order. After everything was taken care of, Dumbledore made his way out of the office to find Linnet. Ginny Weasly was running down the corridor when she was stopped by Dumbledore.

"Hello, Ms. Weasly. Do you happen to know where I might find Professor Linnet" he asked.

"Um, I think I saw her go outside a few minutes a go. You should try looking by the lake Professor" Ginny thought for a moment.

"Thank Ms. Weasly, you may go now. Enjoy your day" the old man smiled.

Ginny smile back and tore off down the corridor again. Dumbledore laughed and shook his head at the youngest and only girl of the Weasly clan. Ginny was right as rain when she said that Dumbledore could find them by the lake.

"I hate to interrupt, but I would like to thank you for telling me about the vision. How often do the premonitions occur" he said.

"Vera says that they only happen when something really big is about to happen. She only gets premonitions about truly bad things" linnet explained.

"Well thank you again for your help" Dumbledore said before turning to go.


	4. 4

As predicted by Vera, a group of Death Eaters showed up at the shopping center. Before any muggles were injured, Arouras from the ministry apprehended them. The news of this event traveled back to Voldemort, who to say the least, was not pleased. It was now three days into the month of October and the students were progressing well with their extra classes. Linnet made sure that there was no confusion about what they really were and taught her class in her wolf form. Vera had no more premonitions as of late and things were progressing well at Hogwarts. Five days before Halloween, Voldemort summed a meeting of his followers. Snape of course was forced to go and spy for Dumbledore. Once he arrived at the meeting ground he was confronted by Voldemort and questioned about how the ministry knew about the shopping center.

"Tell me Severus, how did the ministry know about my plans" he hissed.

"I do not know my lord" Snape replied.

Of course Snape knew, Dumbledore told the whole faculty about the wolf's vision, but he wasn't going to tell Voldemort that.

"Do not lie to me Severus" the voice hissed again.

"Master I do not lie to you" Snape said.

Anger was quickly rising in the Dark Lord and Snape could sense that he was not going to come out of this unscathed. Voldemort was tired of playing mind games, so he settled on physical ones instead. Pointing his wand directly at Snape, he uttered the most painful word that Snape would ever hear, _Crucio_. Snape's painful cries echoed though the empty graveyard as he writhed on the ground in immense pain. Voldemort help the cure just long enough so it didn't cause permanent damage. When Snape somewhat regained his composer, the Dark Lord hit him with another round. This continued through the night.

* * *

Linnet was walking the halls, patrolling for students out past curfew. It was 1am so she didn't think there would be anyone out anyway. A noise from the entrance hall caught her attention causing her to investigate. When she reached the hall, all she spotted was a black mass on the floor. Upon closer inspection, she realized that it was a very bloody and unconscious Snape. Apparently Snape had only enough strength left to make it to the hall before he collapsed and passed out. Linnet rolled him over on to his back and tried to gently shake him awake.

"Snape, can you hear me?" she asked softly.

Still nothing.

"Come on Snape, wake up. Come on" Linnet begged his limp form.

There was no response, but she kept trying. This time she tried calling him by his given name.

"Severus, squeeze my hand if you can here me" she said.

After a long moment, there was a weak pressure on her hand. Linnet was determined to get him to become conscious again. Several long minutes later with soft words from Linnet, Snape open his eyes. He groaned in pain and tried to move but Linnet stopped.

"Let go of me, I can do it on my own" he whispered.

"No you can't. You are in too much pain. I will take you to your chambers and give you something for the pain" she told him.

Changing to her wolf form for more strength, she gently picked him up and carried him down to the dungeons. She asked which was his room and what the password was. Reluctantly he told her and she made her way though the sitting room to his bed chambers and placed him carefully on the bed.

"Severus, I will be back in a few minutes ok. I'm going to get something for the pain" she informed him.

He weakly nodded but didn't say anything. Taking one last look at him before leaving, Linnet rushed through the castle until she reached Vera's room. Banging loudly on the door to get her up, Linnet opened the door and demanded and pain reliving mixture.

"You're very lucky. I have one chilling on the table right now. Tell me though, who is it for?" She inquired.

"Severus Snape. He has returned from the meeting in unbearable pain" she stated.

Vera nodded and pointed to where the basin of liquid was sitting. Linnet poured a generous amount in a goblet and took off out the door and back down stairs. She reached Snape's chambers in no time and stepped inside. Quietly slipping into the bedroom, she walked over to the bed to find him unconscious again. She was able to wake him and told him to drink all the liquid.

"That smells revolting" he sighed.

"Yeah well, it doesn't exactly taste good either" She chuckled.

He managed to swallow all of it then promptly gagged. Linnet eased him down on his back and told him that the drink had a sleep inducing effect and well as the pain relieving. In a few minutes Snape was asleep and Linnet pulled the blanket over him. She walked out of the bedroom and found a comfy spot on the sofa in the sitting room. She wasn't going to let him be alone after a meeting like that. She said a few soft words in Gaelic and it slowly began to rain lightly on the castle grounds.

* * *

The next morning Snape woke with an entirely sore body. When he got up to make some coffee, he remembered the events of the previous night. Quickly glancing around he, noticed a black haired figure asleep in a very uncomfortable position on his sofa. Snape cleared his throat in order to wake the person. When that didn't work, he walked over and nudged Linnet. She woke with a start and fell of the sofa. Standing up and stretching she realized that her neck was completely stiff from sleeping with her head at a right angle to her body. She looked at Snape and saw that he looked much better than he did last night.

"This is a little awkward" the said in unison.

Linnet laughed nervously and looked down.

"Um, I'm not very good at this. But, um, I appreciate you bringing me here and not the infirmary" Snape spoke.

"Don't worry about it. I was acting on instinct and figured that this would be the better place of the two. Plus if we went to the infirmary we would have to deal with Dumbledore" Linnet pointed out.

"Yes, I suppose so. But, did you stay here the whole night" Snape pondered.

"Yes, I wanted to make sure that nothing was wrong." Linnet said.

Snape grunted and offered a cup of coffee to her. She declined and said that she had some things to do. Snape nodded and walked over to hold the door open for her as she left. In a minute, Linnet was completely out of sight from Snape and completely out of the dungeons and in the morning sunlight. Sighing and rubbing her neck Linnet journeyed to the great hall from an early breakfast. Catching the eye of Vera and the rest of the pack as well as Dumbledore, she sighed again and sat down for breakfast. Remus Lupin, who had seen her last night from the shadows walked over to her and sat down.

"How is he" Lupin asked referring to Snape.

"A lot better this morning than last night" she mentioned.

"That's good. It's a pity about what he does, he has been through so much and yet he still puts his life on the line for Dumbledore" Lupin noted.

"I know. Dumbledore uses him to get the information he wants and it's not fair to Severus" Linnet agreed.

They quickly finished the conversation as Snape walked into the great hall. The rest of the day past by as it normally would with no catastrophic events, except for a 5 year Hufflepuff melting his cauldron in potions.


	5. 5

It was now the middle of December and Voldemort had yet to call another Death Eater meeting. At Hogwarts, the students and teachers were preparing for the fast approaching Christmas holidays. Professor Flitwick, with the help of Hagrid and Professor McGonagall were putting up the festive decorations in the Great Hall while the other teachers were working on the other hallways. Several members of Linnet's pack were wondering the halls helping where they could while Vera was down in the dungeons making a fresh batch of cold and flu remedy. After Vera had finished the translucent red liquid and poured it into several bottles, she made her way up to Madam Pomfrey with the vials. Her journey back down to the dungeons was cut short when she froze in the middle of the staircase with a premonition. Racing the rest of the way down several flights of stairs and a couple of hallways, she finally found Linnet in her classroom practicing sword techniques with Rowan.

"My lady, I'm sorry to interrupt but we have a problem" Vera panted.

"What is it" the pack leader asked.

"It would be better if I told you in private" the blonde healer said.

Linnet looked over her shoulder to Rowan who nodded his understanding and left the room. Once they were alone Linnet looked back at Vera.

"I had a premonition about something horrible. _He_ found out the Severus Snape is a spy and a traitor. At the next meeting Snape will be tortured and killed" Vera explained.

Linnet took in all this information and was out the door and running as fast as her paws would take her. The nails on her hind paws left scratches on the smooth tile floor as she struggled for traction on the last corner before reaching Dumbledore's office. She shouted out the password to the gargoyle and raced up the spiral staircase taking them two at a time. She barely knocked before entering the office panting hard. Linnet marched over to where Dumbledore sat behind his desk.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion headmaster but I just received some disturbing news. It has been brought to my attention by Vera that Snape has been made as a spy and will be killed at the next meeting" Linnet exclaimed.

"Are you sure" Dumbledore asked.

"Absolutely, you must not let him go to the meeting Albus" Linnet warned.

Dumbledore assured the wolf that he wolf figure out something to do. Linnet nodded and exited the office only to run back down the stairs and into the dungeons. She first tried Snape's classroom but found that it was empty so she checked his office where she saw him grading a stack of last minute essays before the Christmas break. Linnet entered the small, dark office and shut the door behind her, the noise causing Snape to look up.

"What do you want wolf" he said as he continued to cross out mistakes on the paper before him.

"_He_ knows; He knows you are a spy and is planning to kill you at the next meeting. You mustn't go, stay here and you will be safe" Linnet took the paper away from him to get his attention.

"How can you be sure" Snape eyed her suspiciously.

"Vera had a premonition about it" she leaned forward in her chair and rested her elbows on the edge of his desk.

The potions master searched Linnet's amber eyes for any sign of deceit but found none. Snape leaned far back in his chair, closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He slowly opened his eyes to look at Linnet who just sat there waiting for him to say something. Sighing, he finally opened his mouth to speak.

"Does the headmaster know about this" he said.

"Yes, he has already been informed and is figuring out a plan of action" Linnet replied.

Linnet winced as Snape pushed his chair back and the stone floor, causing it to make a loud scratching sound. The potions master began pacing behind his desk while muttering to himself. Linnet slid her large wolf form out of the chair she was sitting in and walked around to face Snape. She placed her large paw on the man's shoulder to keep him still for a moment.

"Severus, as long as you stay at this castle we will protect you, I will protect you, and everyone else" the wolf said.

Snape didn't say anything and Linnet took this as her cue to leave. She stopped at the door and looked back over her broad shoulder.

"I have a council meeting this coming weekend. We will decide what the best course of action should be" with that said, she pulled the door open and walked up the stairs into the cold December air.

Friday morning came and Linnet wished her pack and fellow colleagues farewell as she departed for the council meeting that was taking place on the Welsh coast. She morphed into her human form and wrapped her cloak tightly around her before mounting her jet-black stallion. Giving the horse a swift kick to the flanks, she took off down the path and out the front gates of the school. She didn't stop at all until she reached the border of England where she spent the night. The next morning before the sun was up, she was on her way again toward the west coast of the island. It took her all of Saturday to reach the Welsh coast and by the time she got to the council headquarters it was already 1:00 a.m. Sunday morning. She led the horse into the stable on prepared for sleep herself. 10:00 a.m. that morning, every lycan representative from Europe was seated at a long U-shaped table with Linnet dead center at the bottom of the U. The discussion went on for hours about how to deal with the situation of Voldemort and the threat it posed to the clans. Eventually, a final decision announced, claiming that if any follower of Voldemort were to be found on lycan territory they were to be terminated immediately. With everything settled they lycan elders went their separate way and returned to their homelands. Linnet arrived back at Hogwarts early Wednesday morning. She reported the agreement to the rest of her pack as well as Dumbledore before heading towards her room for some well-deserved sleep. That night the sword fighting class was taught by only Rowan, when the class inquired the reason whey Linnet was not there he simply answered that she had just gotten back from a long trip earlier that morning. The class seemed to find this an acceptable answer and continued with their lesson. Linnet showed up to breakfast the next morning and was pulled aside by Snape, who hadn't yet heard the about the outcome of the meeting.

"What is going to happen" he whispered in her ear.

"Every elder from Europe agreed that if a Death Eater or any other follower of the Dark Lord is spotted on lycan territory they will be killed on the spot. And as far as you go, I would recommend not leaving Hogwarts grounds without one of us" she explained.

Snape nodded but was still less than thrilled that he needed a chaperone to leave the castle grounds.


End file.
